There was a time when the radical, anti-abortion former Catholic priest, Frank Pavone, was given a warm welcome on Fox News. But now that he’s embroiled in a sex scandal, inquiring minds want to know if he’ll be welcomed back!
As Newshounds Brian reported, Pavone, head of the radical anti-abortion group, “Priests for Life,” (which includes Alveda King on the Board of Directors) recently whined to anti-abortion zealot Laura Ingraham about his having been removed from the priesthood for shenanigans like putting a fetus on a Catholic church altar in order to attack Hillary Clinton’s pro-choice position - while praising Donald Trump for his commitment to “life.”
Pavone, who acted as a spiritual advisor to Trump, was very public in his support for the former president and was frequently seen in a red MAGA hat. Such publicity stunts were an embarrassment to his bishop who wasted no words in condemning Pavone for “persistent disobedience.”
Pavone was no stranger to Fox News where he occasionally made appearances in order to boost Fox’s “pro-life” creds with its Catholic audience. When he had inserted himself in the right wing media circus surrounding Terri Schiavo sad end of life drama, he found a warm, safe space with anti-abortion zealot Bill O’Reilly.
Pavone also inserted himself into a Canadian case, extensively covered by Fox, which involved a terminally ill child whose parents refused to consent to court-ordered removal of a feeding tube. Pavone chartered a plane to Canada and took the child and parents to the US where the poor child died. The self-promoting Pavone was cast, by Fox, as a heroic rescuer who fought the evil Canadians who, according to Fox, wanted the child to die.
But it appears that Pavone’s rising “pro-life” star is falling rapidly now that he has been accused by four women of sexual misconduct which includes “groping, grooming, and lewd suggestions.” (Ironic, given that the right wing is fond of accusing drag queens of being “groomers.”) Adding credibility to these accusations are the comments of a fellow “Priest for Life” who has stated that after several of these women complained to him about Pavone’s behavior, he reported it to the group’s Board of Directors. More details about Pavone’s alleged predatory and totally creepy behavior can be found, in detail, here and here.
Meanwhile, a cursory check of the Fox News website reveals several articles about how Pavone, a ‘pro-life activist priest” was removed from the priesthood – articles which, in highlighting Pavone’s commentary (“speaking out”) “from his viewpoint,” show the priest as a sympathetic figure fighting against the forces of “powerful Democrats.”
As far as articles about Pavone’s sex scandal – I got nothing! So I suspect that Mr. Pavone, most likely, has disappeared down the Fox memory hole – or has he?
One day, the creeping Jesus behind the telegenic Peter Pan priest will be revealed for all the world to see.